Spells Trouble: Sisters of Salem
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-06-09 12:31:09
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：P.C. Cast
- ISBN：1250803209
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Summary
Double double， twins spell trouble。。。
Hunter and Mercy Goode are twin witches， direct descendants of the founder of their town of Goodeville。 As their ancestors have done before them， it is now time for the twins to learn what it means to be Gatekeepers-the protectors of the Gates to different underworlds， ancient portals between their world and realms where mythology rules and nightmares come to life。
When their mother becomes the first victim in a string of murders， the devastated sisters vow to avenge her death。 But it will take more than magic to rein in the ancient mythological monsters who've infected their peaceful town。
Now Hunter and Mercy must come together and accept their destiny or risk being separated for good。
A Macmillan Audio production from Wednesday Books
Hunter and Mercy Goode are twin witches， direct descendants of the founder of their town of Goodeville。 As their ancestors have done before them， it is now time for the twins to learn what it means to be Gatekeepers-the protectors of the Gates to different underworlds， ancient portals between their world and realms where mythology rules and nightmares come to life。
When their mother becomes the first victim in a string of murders， the devastated sisters vow to avenge her death。 But it will take more than magic to rein in the ancient mythological monsters who've infected their peaceful town。
Now Hunter and Mercy must come together and accept their destiny or risk being separated for good。
A Macmillan Audio production from Wednesday Books
Reviews
Lucy
，
I loved the prologue， and would have loved more of that。 However， I didn't care much for the rest of the story。 I loved the prologue， and would have loved more of that。 However， I didn't care much for the rest of the story。 。。。more
Danielle Hill
，
Such an amazing book！ I was so excited to read this book as soon as I heard about P。C。 and Kristin cast writing another book together and it did not disappoint！ It was not at all what I was expecting it to be and it was so much better！ I can not wait for the next in the series and highly recommend！
Valerie
，
I read another review that mentioned how they absolute loved the prologue of this book and really expected this to be the story that Spells Trouble would tell。 When I picked this up， I couldn’t help but be enthralled with Sarah Goode and her daughter。。 personally it gave me Practical Magic vibes and I was dying to read about this badass & strong woman who escaped her judge-y town along with her daughter by one-upping all of them。 This was the story I was anxious for and wanting to read but inste I read another review that mentioned how they absolute loved the prologue of this book and really expected this to be the story that Spells Trouble would tell。 When I picked this up， I couldn’t help but be enthralled with Sarah Goode and her daughter。。 personally it gave me Practical Magic vibes and I was dying to read about this badass & strong woman who escaped her judge-y town along with her daughter by one-upping all of them。 This was the story I was anxious for and wanting to read but instead。。 we get Mercy & Hunter Goode， Sarah’s ancestors who fully emulate the teenager angst。 After losing their mother in a tragic accident the night when they essentially come into their own as witches， Mercy & Hunter are forced to deal with the aftermath of their mother’s killer， save a bunch of trees and STILL deal with high school type messes。。 I swear chapter by chapter I got annoyed with either twin and had to remind myself that they were in fact teenagers。 The one redeeming character was Xena， the familiar cat turned guardian whose cat like characteristics in human form & her calling the twins “kittens” had me so in love with this character。 This book does end in a cliffhanger & though I sighed at this fact， it definitely kept me intrigued enough to want to read the next book。 Thanks to Wednesday Books & NetGalley for an early e-galley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Gena Bertele
，
Hunter and Mercy Goode are twin witches that are learning how to be gatekeepers to keep their realm safe from the underworld and other realms。 I loved Hunter as a character。 She is such a strong and protective person and I can’t wait to see what she does in the next installment of this saga。 I really did not like Mercy as much。 I feel like she’s judgmental and immature and not the greatest sister to Hunter。 I’m hoping that changes in the next book。 The prologue was phenomenal。 I could have read Hunter and Mercy Goode are twin witches that are learning how to be gatekeepers to keep their realm safe from the underworld and other realms。 I loved Hunter as a character。 She is such a strong and protective person and I can’t wait to see what she does in the next installment of this saga。 I really did not like Mercy as much。 I feel like she’s judgmental and immature and not the greatest sister to Hunter。 I’m hoping that changes in the next book。 The prologue was phenomenal。 I could have read a book solely on Sarah Goode and her daughter and what happened after they escaped being held prisoner。 There is a little about it in the book when Hunter and Mercy are remembering the story but I wish there was more about them through the book。 In all I enjoyed this book and look forward to the next one！ Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Amber Smith
，
This pulls you in immediately with twin witches！ These sisters are the complete opposite of each other but are so loyal。 They are surrounded by friends that support them。 Then something awful happens。 Now the sisters have to figure out what went wrong。 The story was so great。 I could not stop reading。 The narration was great。 I need the next book right now！ Thank you to Netgalley and Sg Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books for this digital review copy in exchange for an honest review。
Michele
，
Thank you to NetGalley and St。 Martin press for allowing me to review this book。I choose this novel as I had read the House of Night series years ago and really enjoyed them。 I love stories involving Witches and the description sound good。I enjoyed the book。 It started off with Sarah Goode and the Salem witch trials in the prologue and fast forward to present day to her descendants Hunter and Mercy Goode。 They are just Sixteen and are about to come into their own witchcraft when tragedy strikes。 Thank you to NetGalley and St。 Martin press for allowing me to review this book。I choose this novel as I had read the House of Night series years ago and really enjoyed them。 I love stories involving Witches and the description sound good。I enjoyed the book。 It started off with Sarah Goode and the Salem witch trials in the prologue and fast forward to present day to her descendants Hunter and Mercy Goode。 They are just Sixteen and are about to come into their own witchcraft when tragedy strikes。 The girls immersed in grief struggle to move onwards and embrace their heritage。 They are gatekeepers and must fix the problem occurring within the gates。 It's a great story involving sisters and their love for each other despite the differences。 If you're into witches and enjoy books that explore sisterly bonds then this a book you should read。 。。。more
Amanda
，
Okay， the premise of this book greatly intrigued me。 Recently I've been loving the murder mystery aspect that a lot of YA novels have been incorporating， the "who done it？！" vibe as you read throughout the book。 The prologue of the book steeped in the historical Salem witch trials got the story going for me。As I read on， the characters， while I liked them， I JUST liked them。 I didn't fall in love or connect。 They almost seemed a bit distant to me， so rather than feeling like I was a part of the Okay， the premise of this book greatly intrigued me。 Recently I've been loving the murder mystery aspect that a lot of YA novels have been incorporating， the "who done it？！" vibe as you read throughout the book。 The prologue of the book steeped in the historical Salem witch trials got the story going for me。As I read on， the characters， while I liked them， I JUST liked them。 I didn't fall in love or connect。 They almost seemed a bit distant to me， so rather than feeling like I was a part of the story， I felt more like a distant observer。 At times the story moved so quickly， too quickly。 Emotions and events passing by within the space of a few hours in regards to the timeline of the book。 It felt like there was a lack of depth and exploration， which probably would've helped connect the characters more towards the audience。 On another note， some phrases and words were so out of place。 Mainly those phrases and words that are commonly used in the U。K。 It made the story about sisters from Illinois just a little hard to swallow， and overall a bit jarring to read。 Truly， I loved the idea of this book and just wish there had been more depth and development。 。。。more
Katie
，
I read all of the House of Night series years ago and loved them。 I was so excited to see this new book hit the NetGalley shelves。 The prologue was the best part。 But I have large concerns with Spells Trouble。 This book is rated for Teens and YA and I think an open door oral sex scene is wildly inappropriate， especially as it is written now with the shame and regret portrayed after。 This was not a sex positive scene and not something I would want my young daughter to read。 The part of bragging a I read all of the House of Night series years ago and loved them。 I was so excited to see this new book hit the NetGalley shelves。 The prologue was the best part。 But I have large concerns with Spells Trouble。 This book is rated for Teens and YA and I think an open door oral sex scene is wildly inappropriate， especially as it is written now with the shame and regret portrayed after。 This was not a sex positive scene and not something I would want my young daughter to read。 The part of bragging about the sexual conquest after is equally disgusting。 I urge the publisher/editor to either rewrite the scene or reclassify the recommended audience。 I felt some of the teen language/colloquialisms were forced。 For example， “BRB。”This novel is set in Illinois。 Why are there British curses？ Bloody hell… bloody buggering hell… sodding wanker…Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books of St。 Martin’s Press for the opportunity to review this advanced reader’s eBook。 Unfortunately， I give this book a pass。 Typo loc 803， chapter 4: “gaged” should be gaggedTypo loc 1180， chapter 8: “…smoothed her hair with the back her of hands…”Typo loc 1306， chapter 9: “Even through her grief Mercy acknowledge that her sister was right。”Typo loc 2131， chapter 16: “Mercy ran one hand through her hair as squinted at her phone…”Typo loc 2443， chapter 17: “The Keds spun to the face the garish sparkles。”Typo loc 3191， chapter 24: “Mercy chew the inside of her cheek to keep from blurting…” 。。。more
Elle
，
Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with the audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review。 I honestly would have given the prologue 5 stars。 That was my favorite part of the book。 The beginning really grabbed my attention and was so well written。 I loved the large cat familiar。 I wish the whole book had been about Sarah， Dorothy and Odysseus。 I did like the premise of the rest of book that the two sisters in present time are responsible for looking after their town and Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with the audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review。 I honestly would have given the prologue 5 stars。 That was my favorite part of the book。 The beginning really grabbed my attention and was so well written。 I loved the large cat familiar。 I wish the whole book had been about Sarah， Dorothy and Odysseus。 I did like the premise of the rest of book that the two sisters in present time are responsible for looking after their town and protecting the 5 gates。 I did find it was harder to differentiate between the different POVs while listening to the audiobook。 The two sisters felt very similar。 I know they are twins but it felt like one POV。 The book was a little over descriptive to me in the dialog between the characters。 Also I felt the sex scene was haphazardly thrown into the book and the details were uncomfortably descriptive for a YA book。 The book was overall just okay。 It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t one of my favorites。 。。。more
Ashlin
，
I first want to thank Netgalley， the publisher and the author for allowing me to have an E- ARC of this amazing book。 I knew from the description that I needed to read it as soon as possible。 I plan on buying the exclusive edition from Walmart！This book was AMAZING。 I loved it。 Literally everything that I love put into one book。 I am a little obsessed with the Salem witch trials and learning more about them。 I go to Salem once a year and learn as much as I possibly can about the people who were I first want to thank Netgalley， the publisher and the author for allowing me to have an E- ARC of this amazing book。 I knew from the description that I needed to read it as soon as possible。 I plan on buying the exclusive edition from Walmart！This book was AMAZING。 I loved it。 Literally everything that I love put into one book。 I am a little obsessed with the Salem witch trials and learning more about them。 I go to Salem once a year and learn as much as I possibly can about the people who were murdered during the trials。 When I saw that this book was a spin on Sarah Good and her actually being a witch and SURVIVING I knew this book was going to be amazing。I loved the back story that the author created for the readers。 It really built the world that the author was creating for our Goode twins， Mercy and Hunter。 I do not think the bonds of sisterhood would have been so believable if the author did not explain their past and heritage。 I loved the witchcraft that the author added in this book and the different uses of all mythology。 I especially loved Hunters powers because I feel like we don’t get a lot of books on cosmic witches。The story really only covers a few days of the girls lives， but there is SO MUCH that happens in those few days that it really makes a fast pace and interesting story。 I loved all the characters and even the ones the author used to really show how they were just teenagers and so naïve for their age。 The pulls of different gods and the gateways to all the hells were done perfectly。 I truly can not think of a single thing that I did not love in this book。 The ending is set up perfectly for there to be a book 2 and I am so excited to see what the author comes up with for our twins。 I was and still am blown away by this book and SO THANKFUL I was able to read it ahead of release。 。。。more
Nephilim Ale
，
✨4/5✨Con lo poco que se ha dado conocer el universo，me ha gustado mucho y espero conocer más porque la idea es genial。Como se ha estructurado la historia es genial me ha estar leyendo que se acabase。 He disfrutado mucho y espero con ansias el próximo libro！！Por ese epílogo que verás los que nos preparará la segunda entrega ;））
Alice 🌙
，
3/5 ⭐️ I love these authorsBut with this book， not so much。 The writing was okay， but kinda immature at times。 Who says huggsies？？？ Pressies？？？ What？？？ I found myself not caring as much about the characters as the story went on and that was a bummer。
Caitlin Janke
，
The Goode witches have always been the gatekeepers of four gates to the underworld。 On their sixteenth birthday Hunter and Mercy Goode each choose a God or Goddess to serve。 However the ceremony is cut short when a creature breaks the gates and kills their mother， the twins are now on their own to close the gates and protect them。 With tension brewing between the sister from the loss and hunters choice of choosing a God instead of a goddess， the task just became a whole lot harder。I liked the id The Goode witches have always been the gatekeepers of four gates to the underworld。 On their sixteenth birthday Hunter and Mercy Goode each choose a God or Goddess to serve。 However the ceremony is cut short when a creature breaks the gates and kills their mother， the twins are now on their own to close the gates and protect them。 With tension brewing between the sister from the loss and hunters choice of choosing a God instead of a goddess， the task just became a whole lot harder。I liked the idea behind this book and the story was good but I found the way the dialog was a little too valley girl and not very modern。 The witches theme is an interesting theme change from the house of night series I previously read from these authors。 But it felt like the rituals written in this story were taken from the house of night rituals。 It felt very close with the way the candles are described and how everyone reacted to them。 Other than that I find this a pretty solid story especially for a start of a series。 It has diverse characters and the twins have a clear difference in personalities。 I think fans of previous books by these two authors will definitely like it。 It is aimed for a young adult age range and you can tell by the story。 I received an advanced copy through netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review。 。。。more
andrea caro
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dnf @ around page 150。as i stated in my reading notes， this book is the fictional equivalent of amy poehler in mean girls going， "i'm not a regular mom， i'm a cool mom。" this book was written by two women who have clearly never spoken to a teenager。 annoying highlights of this book include: - one of the twins randomly using british slang， ie。 "sod it" in conversation despite the fact that she's american。 - more on the way the characters talk， they excessively used the term "yaaaaaaass" and dropp dnf @ around page 150。as i stated in my reading notes， this book is the fictional equivalent of amy poehler in mean girls going， "i'm not a regular mom， i'm a cool mom。" this book was written by two women who have clearly never spoken to a teenager。 annoying highlights of this book include: - one of the twins randomly using british slang， ie。 "sod it" in conversation despite the fact that she's american。 - more on the way the characters talk， they excessively used the term "yaaaaaaass" and dropped words that no one i know uses in conversation， i。e。 "bestie"， "hugsies"， "pressie"。 - a cliche， douchey boyfriend that is a "football god" and wears this book's version of axe body spray。- sexualities， religions， and races clearly shoe-horned in for the sake of getting a 'diverse' rep even though the characters that weren't white were 2-dimensional and indistinguishable from the other characters。 （for that matter， the main characters were 2-dimensional and indistinguishable， too。）- a "who cares more about our dead mom？" contest between the two twins the DAY their mother died。 one twin tells the other she doesn't care because she's having a full ass meltdown while the other twin has to be responsible， the responsible twin loathes the meltdown twin for being functionally useless while she's grieving and thinking she has it 'easy' because she's never been subjected to homophobic behavior。 on the day their mom dies？ idk man it just wasn't handled responsibly and it seems like it was smooshed in for drama。- a spell to remove meltdown twin's grief the DAY their mom dies。 like wtf？？？ after which they cheerfully decide to go to school the next day because "everyone is going to think they're weird， so they should rip the bandaid off"。- a series called "sisters of salem" that takes place in。。。 chicago-area？ wtf。- SPEAKING of this book taking place in the chicago-area， the plot involves trees planted that guard gates to each underworld - greek， norse， japanese， egyptian， hindu。 all of these trees were put there by a white woman and protected by a family of white women。 why？？ and in the middle of chicago？ wtfthis sucked。 which is a shame because i loved the way the magic/spells were portrayed with the rituals and stuff， but the rest of it read like a couple of 8 year olds writing wattpad fiction。 avoid， avoid， avoid。 。。。more
Nicole Dumas
，
I received an ARC of this title from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 （3。5 stars）I really enjoyed this witchy read！ I think it was a solid beginning to the trilogy as far as the plot/story。 I loved learning about the Goode witches and I was completely captured by the Prologue！ One thing I felt was lacking was a bit more character development。 I think it would have helped to see some more interactions between the twins and their mom in regards to their learning about spells/magic。 I received an ARC of this title from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 （3。5 stars）I really enjoyed this witchy read！ I think it was a solid beginning to the trilogy as far as the plot/story。 I loved learning about the Goode witches and I was completely captured by the Prologue！ One thing I felt was lacking was a bit more character development。 I think it would have helped to see some more interactions between the twins and their mom in regards to their learning about spells/magic。 I'm not sure if we will get more of that in the next books， but the characters felt just a tad flat to me。 I love the idea of the trees being gates to other worlds and the symbolism behind each tree。 Like I said， the story was great and I can't wait to read what happens next！ I'm hoping we get more development in the next book， but I will definitely be picking it up when it comes out！ 。。。more
Barbara Dougherty Evans
，
The book was great， narrator was pretty good， and story was okay。 It wasn't something I would normally read， but it was good as an alternative。 I think I will go back and give it a second pass。 If you are into this type of book， it is probably an excellent choice。 I am not， so the fact that I want to go back is probably a positive。 The book was great， narrator was pretty good， and story was okay。 It wasn't something I would normally read， but it was good as an alternative。 I think I will go back and give it a second pass。 If you are into this type of book， it is probably an excellent choice。 I am not， so the fact that I want to go back is probably a positive。 。。。more
Książkowe_cuda
，
DNF - 30%Czytałam dawno temu serię "Dom nocy" od tych autorek， która mi się wtedy podobała。 Pomyślałam， że dam szansę i tej。 Jak widać nawet tej książki nie skończyłam， przeczytałam osiem rozdziałów。 Prolog był obiecujący i mi się podobał， ale kiedy przeszliśmy do głównej historii， dosłownie od pierwszego rozdziału， odechciało mi się czytać。 Dialogi i fabuła były jakieś takie na siłę。 Każdy bohater mnie denerwował swoim zachowaniem。 Miałam nadzieję， że może chociaż szeryf będzie miał odrobiny ol DNF - 30%Czytałam dawno temu serię "Dom nocy" od tych autorek， która mi się wtedy podobała。 Pomyślałam， że dam szansę i tej。 Jak widać nawet tej książki nie skończyłam， przeczytałam osiem rozdziałów。 Prolog był obiecujący i mi się podobał， ale kiedy przeszliśmy do głównej historii， dosłownie od pierwszego rozdziału， odechciało mi się czytać。 Dialogi i fabuła były jakieś takie na siłę。 Każdy bohater mnie denerwował swoim zachowaniem。 Miałam nadzieję， że może chociaż szeryf będzie miał odrobiny oleju w głowie， ale kiedy powiedział do dziewczyn， którym zginęła matka， że spoko， bo przynajmniej dostaną pieniądze z ubezpieczenia to padłam。 Może i bym w to brnęła， gdyby styl pisania autorek był przyjemny， ale czytając miałam wrażenie， że marnuję czas。 Tak więc nie kontynuuję tego i zapominam， że w ogóle miałam tą książkę w rękach。 。。。more
Alex
，
This is not the book for me。 I'm not going to write a long-drawn-out point-by-point review。 I'm just going to say I personally didn't love the book and don't this it's for me。 This is weird because this genre and the way the synopsis read it should have been my everything。 But you win some and you lose some and this is just one of those books that you might like more than me。 This is not the book for me。 I'm not going to write a long-drawn-out point-by-point review。 I'm just going to say I personally didn't love the book and don't this it's for me。 This is weird because this genre and the way the synopsis read it should have been my everything。 But you win some and you lose some and this is just one of those books that you might like more than me。 。。。more
Dawn McGill Dalrymple
，
I was so excited to get this arc and had high hopes based on the authors previous books。 My absolute favorite part was the prologue and story of Sarah。 I wasn't really invested in the twins story I'm afraid the writing was way too YA for me。 Thank you St Martin's Press for the book to read and review。 I was so excited to get this arc and had high hopes based on the authors previous books。 My absolute favorite part was the prologue and story of Sarah。 I wasn't really invested in the twins story I'm afraid the writing was way too YA for me。 Thank you St Martin's Press for the book to read and review。 。。。more
Dawn
，
Hunter and Mercy just came of age and accepted their god and goddess to guide them in their witch way。 At the ceremony， their mother dies。 It is up to the girls to figure out what is going on。 As weird things keep happening in town， these girls continue searching for answers and solutions。OpinionI listened to the audiobook。 The cadence and tone the narrator put forth was enchanting。 She made it a true experience to listen to this book。The story was also enchanting。 It was quite easy to get caugh Hunter and Mercy just came of age and accepted their god and goddess to guide them in their witch way。 At the ceremony， their mother dies。 It is up to the girls to figure out what is going on。 As weird things keep happening in town， these girls continue searching for answers and solutions。OpinionI listened to the audiobook。 The cadence and tone the narrator put forth was enchanting。 She made it a true experience to listen to this book。The story was also enchanting。 It was quite easy to get caught up in what was happening with these twins。 The ending was quite good and one I did not expect。Many thanks to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC of this audiobook。 。。。more
Susan
，
Audiobook provided by NetGalley and Macmillan Audio in exchange for an honest review。SPELLS TROUBLE （the first book in the Sisters of Salem series） is the newest series from House of Night authors， P。C。 Cast and Kristin Cast。 SPELLS TROUBLE came out in May 2021。 This is my first novel written by this duo and it will be my last， there was just too much wrong with this to make me want to give these authors another shot。 I'll try to be as nice as I can， but this isn't going to be a pretty review。So Audiobook provided by NetGalley and Macmillan Audio in exchange for an honest review。SPELLS TROUBLE （the first book in the Sisters of Salem series） is the newest series from House of Night authors， P。C。 Cast and Kristin Cast。 SPELLS TROUBLE came out in May 2021。 This is my first novel written by this duo and it will be my last， there was just too much wrong with this to make me want to give these authors another shot。 I'll try to be as nice as I can， but this isn't going to be a pretty review。Soooo a white lady travels from Salem， MA to rural Illinois and finds a place with monsters that the Indian tribes living there can't fix。。。 but she can？ And the monsters just happen to be coming from portals to the underworlds of 4 other religions？ But no fear！ This white lady can stop all of it！ And her bloodline will keep those "bad" gates to other religions closed so that only their white lady magic will be around。 Oh， and because Sarah Goode banished the demons and decided to settle down there， the town was named *drum roll* Goodeville。 YUP。 Totally glossing over the point that there were already people living in that area。 Hmmmmm this smells a little too much of white colonialism for my tastes。Sure there were ley lines。。。。 but WHY would a gate to the Hindu underworld be in。。。 Illinois？！ At no point （other than that it's a spot where ley lines converge） do the authors actually explain why there are four gates to other cultures in the middle of the United States。 And while there is casual mention of indigenous tribes， one of the twins （who is very much white） performs a spell using something called Apache Tears。 And that didn't sit well with me either。 And also， while it's not fair to blame this on the Casts - as this is a long running literary trope and not just a fault of their writing。 But I am awfully tired of writers feeling they need to kill off the parent（s） of the protagonist（s） in order for them to embark on the quest/fight/journey to save the world。 As if the journey of self discovery and full acceptance of their powers/their responsibility to society cannot come about unless they go through the traumatic experience of becoming an orphan。 The story alternates between the twins， Hunter and Mercy。 Yet they were difficult to tell apart and without direct clues at the start of each chapter as to which twin was speaking， it made the narrative a bit muddled。 And somewhat odd that a novel written by two people and told by two protagonists was all very one note。 And we need to talk about the body/sex stuff in this book。 I'm all for sex positive and body positive writing， especially in YA。 Teens are discovering themselves and let's face it， they aren't all celibate。 BUUUUUT。。。。 there is a lot of awkwardness going on in SPELLS TROUBLE。 At one point the teens' mom makes a tongue-in-cheek comment about the size of her daughter's boyfriend's。。。。 you-know-what， based on the size of his hands， and in the same breath tells her daughters that they're welcome for the family trait of multiple orgasms。 Ummmm。 Weird。 And then there's the one gratuitous sex scene （the only sex scene in the entire novel） between two sixteen year olds。 The detailed descriptions were super uncomfortable to read。 And that scene did not fit the rest of the novel at all。 It was cringe worthy and totally unnecessary to include in the narrative。 If the Casts were trying to make a point at how misogynistic the boyfriend was， they negated all of that by being just as crass as the character in how they handled that scene。I had really wanted to like this book， the premise sounded interesting。 But it was really hard to get over the colonialist sentiments and honestly， even if I overlooked that， there wasn't much originality or depth to make up for that shortcoming。 This felt like all the clichés of YA lit wrapped up together that haters of YA lit would use to prove their point of why YA isn't worth your time。 Which would be a shame because there are so many amazing authors of YA out there。。。 and so many amazing YA books centering around the Salem witches。 This one just missed the mark。 Cassandra Campbell does a good job with the audiobook narration， but I'm fairly certain this would have been a DNF for me if I hadn't received an ARC of it。 。。。more
Kerrie
，
Interesting concept and world building， but entirely too predictable。
Kimberly
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I received this book as a NetGalley Audiobook ARC with a request for an honest review。 Please be aware that there is a spoiler in this review。I had high hopes for this novel。 Unfortunately， the book does not live up to its premise。 The Prologue was incredible。 Seeing how Sarah Goode got away from her captors in Salem excited me。 I assumed that the story picked up from her heritage at some point and kept the story in the same realm。However， after three chapters， I had to call it quits on this boo I received this book as a NetGalley Audiobook ARC with a request for an honest review。 Please be aware that there is a spoiler in this review。I had high hopes for this novel。 Unfortunately， the book does not live up to its premise。 The Prologue was incredible。 Seeing how Sarah Goode got away from her captors in Salem excited me。 I assumed that the story picked up from her heritage at some point and kept the story in the same realm。However， after three chapters， I had to call it quits on this book。 There are many reasons why I couldn’t go on。 But what made me turn the book off was that the mother's reaction to her 16-year-old daughter having her first boyfriend was to talk about how to get said boyfriend to stimulate her clitoris。 I’m sorry， but this is unnecessary and disgusting。Another thing I didn’t like was that Mercie’s boyfriend is a complete jerk。 I don’t care if the guy is nervous， or drunk， or any other excuse out there。 There is no excuse to behave like a jackass， period。 All this does is teach young men that it is okay to act this way and teach girls to expect disrespectful treatment。 This portrayal is unacceptable and a huge problem in American culture。The narration is horrible。 The woman reading this book sounds like a 40-year-old pretending to be 16。 The voices are shrill and gave me a headache。 Also， while I understand that teenagers curse and act foolishly when at a party。 Peer pressure is a real thing， but the affected voices are ridiculous。It is with great sadness that I rate Spells Trouble 1 star out of 5。 。。。more
Tanya E
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This cover！ I am in love with it！ Flora and Fauna on a book cover is always attractive to me。 This cover makes me think of being in the forest in springtime when all the plants and trees are waking up from a long， cold winter。 New life。 New beginnings。 Opportunities。I also love books about witches。 Not the dreary tales but the stories that focus on positivity， creation， remediation and love。 Oh， and revenge。 I do love a good witchy revenge story where the bad guy/girl gets what they’ve got comin This cover！ I am in love with it！ Flora and Fauna on a book cover is always attractive to me。 This cover makes me think of being in the forest in springtime when all the plants and trees are waking up from a long， cold winter。 New life。 New beginnings。 Opportunities。I also love books about witches。 Not the dreary tales but the stories that focus on positivity， creation， remediation and love。 Oh， and revenge。 I do love a good witchy revenge story where the bad guy/girl gets what they’ve got coming to them。So imagine my surprise when this beautifully covered book， by a well-know author I might add， was a total flop for me！ The prologue was fantastic。 I was immediately drawn into the story and was so delighted to have finally been able to have time to read this book。 But then came Chapter 1， present day。 The MC’s， twin high school girls， were just so grey。 They barely had any character and what they did have was the teenage snarkiness。 No thanks- I have tons of that at home！ Some big emotional trauma happens at the beginning of the book and they are tasked with saving their town， maybe even the world and then next day they are back at school like ho-hum， it’s a Wednesday。 Utterly unbelievable。 I know， it’s fantasy and they are witches so it’s already unbelievable。 But you know what I mean。 I wasn’t feeling。 I wasn’t sucked into the story。 I kept reading hoping it would get better。 It did not。 I doubt I will be picking up book 2。 。。。more
Trudy
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This new series follows twin sisters Hunter and Mercy who should be celebrating life。 Instead， their Mother is gone and they are tasked with fortifying the sick trees that mark the portals to the underworlds。 They only have Zena， their familiar， to help guide them through what must be done and their friends。I loved the world that was created in this story。 The townspeople are all aware that the Goodes come from a long line of witches but that they are respected in the community in general。 I enj This new series follows twin sisters Hunter and Mercy who should be celebrating life。 Instead， their Mother is gone and they are tasked with fortifying the sick trees that mark the portals to the underworlds。 They only have Zena， their familiar， to help guide them through what must be done and their friends。I loved the world that was created in this story。 The townspeople are all aware that the Goodes come from a long line of witches but that they are respected in the community in general。 I enjoyed how the witchcraft combines the magic within us and around us， showcasing the healing properties of rocks， trees， flowers and herbs， as well as the power of thoughts both positive and negative。 Hunter & Mercy want to make sure that their magic is true to them so they combine traditional and current ideas which will make them stronger。 It was interesting getting to know the characters and their individual personalities。 As the twins navigate through their trials and tribulations they have many highs and lows but through it all they have each other and their friends who they know they can lean on。 They must all come together to overcome the sickness effecting the gates and stop the murders。 *** Soap Box and Spoilers ***I really enjoyed this book so I was surprised to see the low rating。 I read through the one and two star reviews。 I know that you cannot please everyone。 That is a given but some of the reviews were beyond harsh。 Readers need to remember several things。 Most authors do extensive research， have many people from many walks of life review their writing， characters， proof read， edit， etc。 to make things as accurate or true as possible but still allow creative freedom。 Books are an escape from reality and they are not intended to be 100% realistic in most cases。 Authors are people。 They have feelings。 What you write in your reviews can hurt。 If you would not say it to their face then do not write it in a review。 If the story was not for you then write that but there is no reason to bash the authors。 People are all unique。 Their experiences are different。 If their experience is dissimilar from yours does it make it wrong？ If not， then why would you think an imaginary character in a book is not allowed to have their own interpretations， expressions， and character traits？ Everyone wants books to be more inclusive。 These two authors always have the most eclectic， diverse， inclusive characters。 All of the characters have their own personalities， quirks， etc。， just like real people do。 I am not German but I swear in Germany。 That is just one of my personal quirks but obviously it is not something all people do。 It amuses me that so many people are grossed out by the open line of communication that Abigail shares with her girls。 The use of correct terminology， the joking and inuendoes。 This does not mean that the story or characters approve of underage sex。 Keeping serious topics light and using the precise words allows parents to talk to their kids about difficult topics without pressure and ensures that the line of communication stays open and the child is comfortable coming to you to talk about such things （or at least that was my experience with my children）。 Just because your relationship with your mother was not the way the relationship in the story was does not make it wrong。 Just because you were super mature at 16 does not mean that all 16 years old’s are。 You never made mistakes when you were growing up？ Lucky you， but those mistakes teach us and help us grow。 Just like the characters in a book。 I also think that the sexual scene taught several important real life lessons。 Bullying sucks。 The things that bullies say and do are hurtful so do you honestly think they are not going to say inappropriate things？ The way that someone is effected by bullying and/or not ever being bullied will vary depending on the person as well。 People deal with things individually and grief is extremely personal and does not have one way to be expressed。 It took me two years to cry about my father passing away when I was a teenager。 Does that mean I didn’t mourn him？ I did deeply but it was in my way， which was not the “normal” way to most people。 Thankfully the world is not made up of one type， one style， one personality， one way of dealing with things and so on because it would be truly boring to live like that and no one would be able to learn from each other because we would all be the same。 No thank you。Many of the things readers said bothered them were easily answered within the pages of the story。 Those that were not are probably bread crumbs for later in the series。 That is normal and expected。 The reason the town has its name， explained。 Why the gates were guarded by witches and not by those native to the area， explained。 The changes in the detectives personality and why he would say too much about the case， explained。 The references to Hunter wanting to be an author also had two reasons that I noticed and will probably come in to play more in the rest of the series but the title of her book had some foreshadowing and her ability to write creatively also helped her to create her spells without a spell book or written instructions。 Normally I would not take so much time to address these things but as I said， I really enjoyed this book and people were being very hurtful in what they were saying。 I just felt like I needed to get something out there to counteract the bad reviews。 Thank you for allowing me to express myself。 。。。more
Margaret
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I've always loved the books by the Casts but this one is totally the tops and awesome。 I couldn't put it down and I want more！！ Will there be more 😳 I don't know！！！ The characters were all great and came threw so real。 I've always loved the books by the Casts but this one is totally the tops and awesome。 I couldn't put it down and I want more！！ Will there be more 😳 I don't know！！！ The characters were all great and came threw so real。 。。。more
Alexis Forgit
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I was able to get an ARC copy of Spells Trouble audiobook through NetGalley。 To start I was to say I loved Cassandra Campbell's performance！ She is one of my absolutely favorite narrators and Spells Trouble did not disappoint。 Spells Trouble is a YA novel that follows two twins Mercy and Hunter through their spells and magic。 It combines many different pantheons of gods into one intertwined story。 You meet with characters of from Norse， Greek and Egyptian mythology。 The story is exciting and kee I was able to get an ARC copy of Spells Trouble audiobook through NetGalley。 To start I was to say I loved Cassandra Campbell's performance！ She is one of my absolutely favorite narrators and Spells Trouble did not disappoint。 Spells Trouble is a YA novel that follows two twins Mercy and Hunter through their spells and magic。 It combines many different pantheons of gods into one intertwined story。 You meet with characters of from Norse， Greek and Egyptian mythology。 The story is exciting and keeps you listening。 There is LGBT representation among the otherwise regular groups of jocks that fill teen novels。 For anyone considering using this in a class beware that there are a few sexual scenes between characters and references from others。 I am excited for the next novel and to see what happens to the Goode sisters。I do wish I heard more about Sarah Goode and the founding of the town， it was briefly mentioned。。。 I am hoping for more in the next few books！ 。。。more
Renee
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Spells Trouble by P。C。 Cast， Kristin Cast is the first book in the Sisters of Salem book series。 Twin sisters， Hunter and Mercy Goode are witches from a long line of descendants from the town of Goodeville。 On their sixteenth birthday， their mother introduces them to what it means to be a Gatekeeper of their community， protectors of five Gates to different underworlds。 With the untimely death of their mother， they vow to avenge her death， while trying to protect other neighbors from questionable Spells Trouble by P。C。 Cast， Kristin Cast is the first book in the Sisters of Salem book series。 Twin sisters， Hunter and Mercy Goode are witches from a long line of descendants from the town of Goodeville。 On their sixteenth birthday， their mother introduces them to what it means to be a Gatekeeper of their community， protectors of five Gates to different underworlds。 With the untimely death of their mother， they vow to avenge her death， while trying to protect other neighbors from questionable murders that seem to coincide with the escapee of a mythical monster。 The sisters are forced to find the spell to heal the trees， while looking for the monster reeking havoc on their peaceful town and sealing the gates from other creatures。 But they have to work together or find themselves separated forever。The story of teen witches sparked my interest fro the start。 The prologue of this book starts with Sarah Goode， ancestor of Hunter and Mercy， and her escape from jail with her daughter before she was publicly hung for her practice of witchcraft centuries before。 It was a a great introduction， however， the rest of the story fell a little flat afterwards。 There is a combination of high school drama， witchcraft， mythological creatures of the dark underworld and teen sex。 I get it， I’m an adult reading a YA book， but the descriptive nature of teen sex didn’t need to be included， and I sort of cringed thinking of young readers being surprised by it。 Mercy’s boyfriend Kirk is a jerk， and really wasn’t an important character in the storyline anyway， so he could have been left out。 I liked the inclusion of Hunter’s character being part of the LGBTQ+ community， so hopefully I get the next book more of the focus can be on Hunter’s relationship。 I enjoyed the spells， and witchcraft， but it was a bit confusing jumping between so much going on。I’m giving this novel a 2。5 stars。 The storyline is good， I liked the premise of the Gatekeepers and even the fact they are orphaned sixteen year olds trying to fulfill their destiny。 But there was a lot of unnecessary fluff included。 Hopefully book 2 of the series has more of the witchcraft and fantasy creatures and less high school drama。I would like to thank Netgalley and Wednesday Books for an advanced reader edition of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Faith Farrell
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